Tag Archives: minimalism

Sharing seven days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes that we can all find some clarity…

“Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment and freedom.”- The Minimalists

Stepping back and looking at where I am in life, and how things create a few more butterflies in my chest that I’d like, I’m going to be practicing a minimalist act each day of the week, and sharing them with you. If you are feeling like your life is a bit dizzying, take a look deeper and see how much stuff you are carrying on a day-to-day basis, and join me. At the beginning of each week, I will be posting 7 days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes of finding and maintaining some clarity.

Tuesday: Pit Stop. When you stop to pump gas today, clean out your car. Throw out any trash, and put the clutter in your trunk. When you get home tonight, take out the excess and put it where it belongs — inside. This will make your commute to work a bit more relaxing.

Wednesday: Paperless. Go through all of your online bills today and, if you haven’t already, opt out of direct mail. This will not only help your house from collecting clutter, but will also help the environment.

Thursday: Practice Gratitude. Be mindful and appreciate both the little and big things in your life. That’s what this is all about. Write a list of everything and everyone for which you are grateful. Think about editing out what wasn’t listed.

Friday: Tackle the Fridge. The amount of condiments in your refrigerator can sometimes get to be a little much. Clean out your fridge. Toss out any items that are expired, wipe down the shelves, and prepare the space to be filled with clean healthy food going into the next week.

Saturday: Plan a Yard Sale. Look into the summer yard sales happening around your community. Pick one, and start planning. Make a list of things that you haven’t used in the last 3 months, and make a point to let go of them. Yard sales can be a fun neighborhood routine to get into during the warm months. A little bit of work can rid you of a lot of stuff.

Sunday: Morning Ritual. Wake up at 6am this morning. Give yourself a couple hours before your busy day and develop a calming ritual, whether it’s a brisk walk, a bath, or a big breakfast. Throughout this series I’ve tried to mention how important time is to a minimal lifestyle. The goal is to reclaim our time so that we can have more of it for ourselves, for relationships, for gratitude, and to simply be free.

+ Good luck this week! If you are joining in on this challenge, let me know in the comments!

Sharing seven days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes that we can all find some clarity…

“Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment and freedom.” – The Minimalists

Stepping back and looking at where I am in life, and how stuff is creating a few more butterflies in my chest that I’d like, I’m going to be practicing a minimalist act each day of the week, and share them with you. If you are feeling like your life is a bit dizzying, take a look deeper and see how much stuff you are carrying on a day-to-day basis, and join me.

At the beginning of each week, I will be posting 7 days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes of finding and maintaining some clarity.

Week Two

Monday: Practice Mindfulness. During your lunch break, take 30 minutes to practice mindfulness. Focus on your present moment, calmly accept any feelings that you are having, and allow yourself a therapeutic half-hour. This practice is so important to implement on a daily basis, as it resets your body to focus on the important things.

Tuesday: Minimal Ingredients. Consume minimal numbers of ingredients today. Try spending the day eating clean, raw, wholesome foods. If you can’t make an entire day of it, try making one tiny switch in your routine and make time to really notice the natural flavors in one of your favorite indulgences. For me, I’m a matcha girl through and through. I usually add a bit of coconut milk, collagen peptides, and a drizzle of honey each morning to sweeten it up a bit. If you’re a coffee girl, go cream- or sugar-free.

Wednesday: Declutter Your Workspace. It’s hard to be inspired if your workspace is a mess. It’s also easy to let it get out of hand when you are constantly doing your job. Take 10 minutes and do a quick sweep of your space today. Clean off surfaces, organize piles, and get rid of anything you don’t need.

Thursday: Night Ritual. Slow down your evening — develop a nighttime ritual. Gather a few things that make you happy and peaceful, and visit/use them before bed. This will allow you to refrain from over-tasking and focus on a restful night’a sleep.

Friday: Donate Box. Start a “donate box”. Put it in a corner of your home, and add something to it daily or weekly.

Saturday: Experience. Go out and try something new. Instead of spending money on a physical thing, instead consider an experience. Spending on experiences is always a yes in the world of minimalism. Need some inspiration? Here you go.

Sharing seven days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes that we can all find some clarity…

I have entirely too much stuff. Stuff meaning: books, towels, emails, clothes, makeup, Facebook friends, 5 different hairbrushes. Not only is my tiny apartment actually overflowing with stuff, but so is my computer, my phone, my brain. I mean, honestly, why do I have an entire drawer full of dried flowers? Who do I think I am, Anne Of Green Gables? (I wish), but no, I’m not. So, because of all of the above, and more, I’m going to try and take baby steps that could lead to a more minimalist lifestyle.

But first things first, let’s clear up what that actually means. Practicing minimalism, or living a minimalist lifestyle, may mean different things to different people. Some may say it means getting rid of your car, your phone, even saying no to those silly-buddy colored mules in your shopping cart. For me, I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with material possessions — if those shoes are important to you, then that’s wonderful. With that being said, I also believe that balance is key. Moderation is our friend. A minimalist lifestyle is personal to each and every one of us, and we can all set our own rules on how big or little we would like to practice it.

“Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment and freedom.” –The Minimalists

Stepping back and looking at where I am in life, and how stuff is creating a few more butterflies in my chest that I’d like, I’m going to be practicing a minimalist act each day of the week, and share them with you. If you are feeling like your life is a bit dizzying, take a look deeper and see how much stuff you are carrying on a day-to-day basis, and join me.

At the beginning of each week, I will be posting 7 days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes of finding and maintaining some clarity.

Week Two:

Monday: Evaluate Commitments. I’m the queen of overcommitting. It can be both a good and bad thing, but typically, it’s overwhelming. Take a step back at all of your commitments, and narrow them down. Cut out anything that may be adding stress. With that, don’t sell yourself short. You are capable of doing everything — just not at once. If it’s important enough to you, you’ll eventually get it done.

Tuesday: Bare Faced. Go the entire day without any makeup. There is some sort of power that comes with exposing your true and natural self to the world with complete confidence. Not only will you feel that power, but your skin will enjoy the break as well. 🙂

Wednesday: Unfollow + Unfriend. I have 2,000+ friends on Facebook. What the heck. I couldn’t even name 100 friends off the top of my head. I’m constantly exposed to content on my social media feeds that may make me feel negative, and yet I just scroll past. Sometimes I see posts from people that I don’t even know. Unfriend anyone who doesn’t add to your life’s conversation.

Thursday: No Spending. Not even a nickel! Take a break today from pulling out your wallet. Use up all of those groceries that you have and get creative. Going a day each week without spending anything is completely freeing, and will help you reflect on what is important enough for your hard earned cash.

Friday: Prune The Garden. Go snip all the dead and old out of your garden. Cutting back on blooms helps new ones grow, and the fresh cuts will add some minimal decor into your space. Place a single stem in each jar, and enjoy the beauty of single digits.

Saturday: Donate 10 Pieces of Clothing. I have jeans in my closet that don’t fit me, like, at all, and yet I refuse to part ways with them. Pick 10 items out of your closet that either you no longer fit into or simplydon’t like anymore, and donate them. You’ll feel great about the space that opens up, and even better that someone else will get the chance to love and enjoy them. Think about if you did this once every few months!

Sunday: Solitude. Spend the day with yourself. Go for a hike, read on the porch, or create something. Feel the joy that comes with the quietness of solitude.

+ Good luck this week! If you are joining in on this challenge, let me know in the comments!

Consider taking a few baby steps to living a more minimalist lifestyle…

I’m going to begin this series by openly admitting that I have entirely too much stuff. Stuff meaning: books, towels, emails, clothes, makeup, Facebook friends, 5 different hairbrushes. Not only is my tiny apartment actually overflowing with stuff, but so is my computer, my phone, my brain. I mean, honestly, why do I have an entire drawer full of dried flowers? Who do I think I am, Anne Of Green Gables? (I wish), but no, I’m not. So, because of all of the above, and more, I’m going to try and take baby steps that could lead to a more minimalist lifestyle.

But first things first, let’s clear up what that actually means. Practicing minimalism, or living a minimalist lifestyle, may mean different things to different people. Some may say it means getting rid of your car, your phone, even saying no to those silly-buddy colored mules in your shopping cart. For me, I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with material possessions — if those shoes are important to you, then that’s wonderful. With that being said, I also believe that balance is key. Moderation is our friend. A minimalist lifestyle is personal to each and every one of us, and we can all set our own rules on how big or little we would like to practice it.

“Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment and freedom.” –The Minimalists

Stepping back and looking at where I am in life, and how stuff is creating a few more butterflies in my chest that I’d like, I’m going to be practicing a minimalist act each day of the week, and share them with you. If you are feeling like your life is a bit dizzying, take a look deeper and see how much stuff you are carrying on a day-to-day basis, and join me.

At the beginning of each week, I will be posting 7 days’ worth of minimalist practices with hopes of finding and maintaining some clarity. Let’s begin.

Week One

Monday: Meditate 15 Minutes.

Simplify time and be aware of each minute. This time is only yours. Space out a bit.

Tuesday: Declutter Phone.

Erase your text messages. Go through your email inbox and unsubscribe from any mail that may be overwhelming. Save important photos, and delete the others. Get rid of any unused apps. Change your background image. I promise you will feel a bit better after this one!

Wednesday: Clean Out Purse.

Self-explanatory. Dump it upside down, and get rid of all of those crumpled up receipts. Collect loose change, etc. Hang on to your essentials: wallet, chapstick, crystal stick for that good ju-ju. This quick and easy task will make the rest of your week a bit more easier and organized.

Thursday: Practice Single Tasking.

Spend the day focusing on one thing at a time. For example, when you are eating breakfast, don’t watch TV. I’m currently writing this post with 13 tabs open, while rubbing my dog’s tummy, and sipping some iced matcha. Overstimulation and overcompensating is exhausting. Put effort into one thing at a time, and try to focus.

Friday: Makeup Purge.

Open up your makeup drawer and get tossing. Get rid of anything old, or filled with yucky chemicals. Think about what basics you use every day, and stick with those. Replace the things you tossed with all-natural, cruelty-free products that make you feel good.

Saturday: Unplug.

It’s the weekend! Stay away from electronics and media for the entire day. No phone, no computer. Get outside and enjoy Mother Earth. For more tips, read this.

Sunday: No Complaints.

Think onward and upward. Consider all of the good, and mute the bad. Erase all of the negative things that are weighing you down, and try focusing on the positive.

+ Good luck this week! If you are joining in on this challenge, let me know in the comments!